List of Famous people who died in 2016

K. N. Jagannatha Varma was an Indian actor who worked in Malayalam film and television industry. He was also an accomplished Kathakali artist. His son Manu Varma is also a recognized artist and his son-in-law Viji Thampi is a well-known film director. He acted in a number of Malayalam movies performing stereotypical roles of a senior police officer, judge or a priest. Some of his noted roles were in movies New Delhi (1987), Thanthram, Lelam (1997) and Pathram (1999), all directed by Joshiy. Varma joined the Kerala Police Force in 1963, before getting active in movies. He retired from the Kerala Police as the Superintendent of Police. Varma is an accomplished Kathakali artist, having mastered the art from Pallippuram Gopalan Nair Asan. He was also a percussionist, learned the art from Kalamandalam Raman Namboothiri after retiring from Government service. His younger brother K. N. Surendranatha Varma, a retired college professor, is also a Kathakali artist.

Brian Asawa was a Japanese American opera singer who sang as a countertenor. About Asawa, Opera News stated: "In his prime, Asawa was an electric performer, his fearless performing style supported by a voice of arresting beauty and expressivity."

John Halle Gutfreund was an American banker, businessman, and investor. He was the CEO of Salomon Brothers Inc, an investment bank that gained prominence in the 1980s. Gutfreund turned Salomon Brothers from a private partnership into a publicly traded corporation, which started a trend in Wall Street for investment companies to go public. In 1985, Business Week gave him the nickname "King of Wall Street".

André Rousselet was a French businessman and the founder of Canal Plus, a French premium cable television channel launched in 1984. He also founded the number one taxi company in Paris called Taxis G7. He served as a member of the National Assembly from 1967 to 1968 for the Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left and was a close friend to the late French ex-president François Mitterrand.

Teresita Joy De Leon-Viado was a Filipino character actress, singer, and comedian known for playing Lola Paula in Luv U, Bebot in Kokey @ Ako, and Aling Gloria in Cinco.

Alexander Johnstone was a Scottish Conservative and Unionist politician. He served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for North East Scotland from 1999 until his death in 2016.

Sixto Alfonso Durán-Ballén Cordovez was an Ecuadorian political figure and architect. He served as Mayor of Quito between 1970 and 1978. In 1951, he co-founded a political party, the Social Christian Party. In 1991, he left the Social Christian Party formed a new conservative group, the Republican Union Party (PUR), before running for president for the third time in 1992.

Philip Clift Sayer was an English voice artist. He was one half of the Sayer Hamilton voice studio, based in Bolton, Greater Manchester, in partnership with his wife, Elinor Hamilton.

Gianluca Buonanno was an Italian politician born in Borgosesia. At the time of his death, Buonanno was mayor of Borgosesia, member of Lega Nord and MEP.

Eduard Vasilievich Nazarov was a Soviet and Russian animator, screenwriter, voice actor, book illustrator and educator, artistic director at the Pilot Studio (2007–2016), vice-president of ASIFA (1987–1999) and a co-president of the KROK International Animated Films Festival. He was awarded People's Artist of Russia in 2012.